For many applications, Additive Manufacturing (AM) is not economically viable without powder re-use. Powder bed fusion and binder jetting processes both have low ‘per pass’ incorporation rates and simply disposing of the residual powder is not an option, especially when using expensive metal powder feedstocks.
However, every pass through the printer can affect both chemical and physical properties of the powder. Physical changes that affect critical behaviours such as flowability and spreadability can be challenging to assess when establishing a robust re-use strategy.
Our recent article in TCT Magazine covers the following:
- Changed forever? The effect of passage through the printer
- Quantifying flowability, a comparison of used and virgin powders (a case study with LPW Technology, now part of Carpenter Additive)
- Implications for print performance (a case study with the National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence, Auburn University)
You can read the full article via the TCT Magazine website – click here.
For further case studies using the FT4 Powder Rheometer, please visit our Additive Manufacturing page.